


We Say Summer (Alternatively: Letters From Summer Camp)

by howrseluvar



Category: All Time Low, Avril Lavigne (Musician), Fall Out Boy, Mindless Self Indulgence, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Paramore, We Are the In Crowd
Genre: Fiction, Multi, Summer Camp, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-20
Updated: 2013-04-20
Packaged: 2017-12-08 23:30:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/767358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howrseluvar/pseuds/howrseluvar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Camp Tejas, "Tejas" being the word for friendship in Caddo, is a place where kids can grow and learn, and be instilled with the values of strong friendships, respect, and teamwork.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Say Summer (Alternatively: Letters From Summer Camp)

**Author's Note:**

> We Say Summer - Title taken from the All Time Low song. We Say Summer is a constant work in progress and will be updated chapter by chapter as I get them done. Rating is subject to change.  
> This fic hasn't even been planned out fully. I'm just writing it as I go. So, have fun!
> 
> Rated T currently for cursing.
> 
> I have made a powerpoint to introduce you to Camp Tejas, you can reference it as you go along - there's no spoilers in there! [[link]](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Rq-HI01dXJetscamwb6BFmlybgeVplzVW3FLQsOd4_U/edit?usp=sharing)

_Dear Mom,  
I got to Texas safely. There’s barely any cell phone reception at camp- yeah, yeah I know, they said it, but I tried anyway – so I guess I do in fact have to keep to letters. I’ve been told I only get Saturday night and part of Sunday morning to myself now, so I’ll write then. The guy that picked me up – the camp leader, Spencer Smith, is a really cool guy. He took me to Walmart so I could get all the things TSA wouldn’t let through airport security. Then it was straight on to Nowheresville, Texas…_

Frank sighed as he trudged through the camp with a humongous rolling duffel in one hand, a guitar case in the other, and a backpack over his shoulder. He got his unit assignment: the Raccoon unit. That was really cool because he had a fake racoon hat in his possession, but the unit was farthest away from everything besides the stables. He was the assistant unit leader for Raccoon this year and was working with a counselor who’d been here for four years, Gerard Way. He hadn’t gotten to meet Gerard yet, considering they were both from different states.

Camp Tejas was very well-known in the South as an accredited co-ed summer camp. Campers stayed one week to get a full camp experience with horseback riding, waterfront activities, ropes courses, and hiking trails. The camp sat on about one hundred and twenty acres of land right by Cypress Lake in Mount Vernon, Texas. The camp was divided into six identical units of twenty-four camper capacity each: Turtle, Cricket, and Honeybee on the girls’ “side” of camp, and Beaver, Raccoon, and Coyote on the guys’ side. The campers intermingled at the grand East Dining Hall, the high and low ropes courses, the stables, the pier, the sports field, and everybody’s favorite: the great Fire Pit.

Frank approached the clearing with a wooden post that read “Raccoon”. He passed through and came to the “unit”. The unit was in a circular fashion, with a smaller unit fire pit in the center. To the immediate left was one of the sleeping cabins, followed by the campers’ bath hall, followed by the other sleeping cabin. To the right, closing off the semicircle, was the unit shelter, which was a combination of a private cabin/bathroom for the counselors, and a activity area with a kitchen inside and enough space for all twenty-four campers to sit and do games, crafts, and the like. Frank wheeled his bag up the short ramp and knocked on the door, but didn’t get an answer, so he clicked the knob and went inside.

The counselor’s cabin was small, but Frank expected that much. There were two beds that were L-bunked in the corner, two dressers, then a door that led to their private bathroom. It was pretty claustrophobic actually, probably slightly smaller than a dorm, but Frank didn’t expect to spend much time here. The top bunk was already fitted with sheets, blankets, pillows, and all the other goodies of a bed, so Frank set his backpack down on bottom bunk. He set his guitar against the dresser that didn’t have pictures on top of it and started to make himself at home, unpacking his clothes into the dresser and managing to have enough room to save the top drawer for all his personal belongings.

Gerard came in just as Frank was in a very precarious position bent and sprawled across his bed, trying to slide the fitted sheet on. Frank froze – with his ass sticking out oh _god_ what a nice way to greet him – and couldn’t think of what to say.

“So, you must be Frank,” Gerard nodded, shifting the clipboard in his hand to tuck it under his left elbow.

“Frankenstein, at your service,” Frank nodded, abandoning the sheet and extending a hand, trying not to blush.

“You picked out something that close to your actual name?”

“Nice to meet you too, Gerard,”

“Batman, at your service,” Gerard mimicked, shaking his hand.

One of the traditions,Frank learned, was keeping camp names for the kids to refer to them by. Frank had chosen Frankenstein because it was one of his favorite monsters, and because it wasn’t too far off from his own name, to be honest. He didn’t want to go home responding to something ridiculous. Kids could try to poke guesses at their real name, but nobody could tell until closing campfire. Frank found that kind of cool, actually.

“Need some help?” Gerard asked, gesturing to the bed. Frank nodded appreciatively and Gerard threw the clipboard up on his bunk and helped Frank with the last two corners of the grey fitted sheet. Frank finished making his bed as they talked, Gerard flipping through his papers.

“So we’ve got a group of twenty boys- so ten to a cabin – that are doing the High Adventure camp. Hope you like heights.” Gerard passed him a second small clipboard, one with a sketch of Frankenstein in Sharpie drawn on the back, so Frank assumed that was his for the summer. He glanced over the sheet outlining the week’s schedule as he fluffed the pillows on his bed and tacked a few posters he brought from home up on the wall with scotch tape. It gave the cabin a little life, along with the pictures of family and pets that sat on both of their dressers.

They chatted idly. Coincidentally, both Frank and Gerard were born in New Jersey, but Gerard moved to New York first, got a degree in cartooning, and then went off to Los Angeles to pursue his life there. Frank learned he had been to Camp Tejas as a kid so many years ago and fell in love with it, and he promised he’d come back to give other kids that experience as many times as he could.

“What about you, Frank?” Gerard asked.

Frank paused. “I still live in Belleville. I’m kinda trying to make it in music, you know? I’m in a small band called Pencey Prep- “

“Catcher in the Rye,” Gerard wittered off immediately

“I’m impressed. Yeah, I just came here for the pay. All the guys are pooling money together for some studio time and all the good jobs were taken.”

Gerard’s face fell. “This is a great job. I think you’ll fall in love with it.”

Frank shrugged. “It’s a summer camp, I’m not that sentimental.”

“You’d be surprised. Come on, it’s time for the staff meeting.”

 

The East Dining hall – as opposed to no other dining halls – was nowhere near close to full by the time they all gathered. The pushed together the tables in the center to make themselves a large-ish banquet table and moved chairs around. There were a ton of smiles, and a ton of hugs and a little squealing, so it was evident some of the staff had been here for a few years before. Frank did his best to gather all the names he could, but he had to gather name and camp name, which presented a small challenge in itself.

Soon enough, the cafeteria staff brought out trays of what smelled like brisket barbeque sandwiches. Frank’s nose didn’t lie, and they were all reaching for one. The trays of side dishes were passed around, and Frank took a little of everything, piling some macaroni and cheese, some green beans, baked beans, mashed potatoes, and some dinner rolls on his plate. There was a happy buzz of laughter and chatter in the air as everybody discussed camp things, things that happened over the year, funny stories, making bets and dares, and Frank watched with quiet fondness. They really did seem like a small family. Everybody sat and seemed to get along with everybody.

Half an hour later – and all of the food consumed – a small dessert was being passed around for those who wanted it when Jon and Spencer stood up by the fireplace. Jon whistled and everybody quieted down to look over to them.

Spencer cleared his throat. “Welcome to the opening week of Camp Tejas!” A small cheer was made that quickly died out. “You all know me, I’m Spencer Smith, and this year you’ll know me as ‘Bravo’. This is Jon Walker, the assistant director, and…what are you going by?” Spencer blanked.

“Crash,” Jon supplied.

“Crash, yeah.” Spencer said quickly as if he knew. “Anyhow, for those of you from last year, it’s running almost the same. The kids are coming in around two, I’ll need one unit leader at check-in to lead kids to the unit and one staying at the unit to supervise unpacking. Review the camper rules, once you gather all the kids, bring them to your unit lodge and go over them, and we’ll go over them again at opening campfire. Safety is our number one priority at all times. Um, please remember to keep your radios on station one. If you need to discuss a more personal manner, call the other person to turn to station two. Each unit leader, one person from each activity center, and both Administration and Medical staff should all have radios. Charge them at night, please. Otherwise, good luck. I’ll let you all make introductions. Stand up, say your name, camp name, where you’re from, and one interesting fact.”

Frank paid better attention this time and committed a few names to memory. Finally it passed to him, and he stood up.

“Uh, I’m Frank Iero, gonna be called Frankenstein, I’m from New Jersey, and my birthday is on Halloween,”

Frank picked out a few more interesting names, Mikey Way, because apparently Gerard had a brother he forgot to mention, Ray Toro, who was on the Medical team with him, and some of the other unit counselors that he’d be getting to know better. Frank finished his slice of apple pie, and left with Gerard to walk back to the unit. Gerard pulled rank on him and took the shower first, so Frank sat on his bed and started his first letter to home.

 

_…All the people here seem nice, like one huge family. We have this night to ourselves, which I’m sure I’m supposed to be super-grateful for and I just can’t appreciate that fully yet. Oh, also, I’m bunking with a guy named Gerard. He’s a cartoonist from LA who’s this total geek, but he seems like a good guy. He’s been here for four years, I can’t imagine why. Oh, he takes fast showers, so I’m going to finish this letter and go take mine._  
Love you Mom,  
xoFrank 


End file.
